Cursed, yet Uncursed
by HeidiLK
Summary: Regina cursed the entire Enchanted Forest, however, she had special plans for Snow White. She stripped her of everything she loved, yet allowed her to keep her memories while enduring her new life as Mary-Margaret. When Emma Swan comes to town, she and Mary-Margaret become friends and with Henry's help, Mary-Margaret sets out to break the curse and restore herself as Snow White.
1. Chapter 1

**Cursed, yet Uncursed.**

 **Summary:** Regina cursed the entire Enchanted Forest, however, she had special plans for Snow White. She stripped her of her husband and newborn daughter and sent her to Storybrooke Maine with a new life and identity. However, she kept Snow White's memories with her new memories as Mary-Margaret. She is forced to live in this new, empty world with all her memories of her real life. Will Snow be able to learn how to break Regina's curse and free her loved ones?

 **Assuming:**

1\. Snow White and Charming didn't know Emma was the key to stopping the curse. Only Rumple and Regina so when Regina came to get Emma, Rumple cast a spell that sent Emma to the real world.

2\. Because Mary-Margaret has her memories as Snow White, she never goes on a date with Whale or has the one night stand

3\. Mary-Margaret volunteers at the hospital, but never in areas near John Doe.

 **Sidenotes:**

Had this random thought the other day and I wanted to try and write a FanFic out of it. I love the Charming Family and enjoy reading stories on them and wanted to give writing one a shot. I have the first few chapters written but please feel free to give me some suggestions and ideas in the comments. That way if I run into writer's block, I can use your ideas for inspiration!

Also, I write this story with sections from Mary-Margaret's diary woven throughout the chapters.

Let me know what you think. -HeidiLK

* * *

 _Dear Diary,_

 _This week has been quite eventful. Every day for the past twenty-eight years had been the same. Everything worked like clockwork and everything cater towards Regina—or Madame Mayor as she is known here. Earlier this week, Henry Mills skipped class. I assumed he had been sick and Regina—his adopted mother—had forgotten to let me know. However, Regina and a blonde woman visited my classroom today and I learned Henry had stolen my credit card and tried to run away. Regina blamed it all on me of course…filling his head with nonsense and fairy tales from_ the storybook _._

 _When I found the storybook, I wanted to share it with the children in an effort to make them believe. Some of the children enjoyed it; they would tell me about their favorites when they returned the book to me. But Henry…Henry is special. He feeds off those stories…our stories…_ my _stories. He_ believes _my stories. He thinks they are true and I encourage it as much as I can._

 _Regina left but the blonde stayed, apologizing for Regina. I discarded it and explained to Emma—the blonde who I learned is Henry's birth mother—where Henry would be._

 _The following day, Emma ended up in jail for stealing files on Henry from Dr. Hopper. Henry came to me so distraught and upset; I went with him to the Sheriff's Office and posted bail for her. She seemed wary of me, questioning why I bailed her out. I told her I trusted her, and I do. She wants the best for Henry and she stands up to Regina, something no one ever does around here._

 _I didn't think I would see her again…no one ever comes to Storybrooke and stays. Occasionally someone drives through or stops at Granny's…but nothing more._

 _Emma stopped by my apartment to pay back the bail money. I instantly invited her in for hot cocoa and cookies. She hesitated but I think the cookies persuaded her. I managed to get her to open up about Henry. I can tell she truly loves Henry and wants to be sure he has everything he needs and is being taken care of, yet there is so much more she is hiding behind her walls. She asked why I trusted her. I decided to be level with her and I answered honestly. I feel like I've met Emma before. I feel drawn to her. There's something about her that I trust and I feel comfortable around. In a perfectly platonic way, I want to become closer to this woman. I want to be her friend and I want to know more about her._

 _Then, Emma told me she planned to leave. I didn't want her to leave so soon. I haven't had real conversation with a woman my age in so long. I have been living this nightmare for twenty-eight dreadful years. I told Emma she needed to stay to protect Henry and I convinced her._

 _The following night, I found Emma sitting in her car. She had been kicked out of Granny's (which I am certain was because of Regina) and she planned to live out of her car until she found a new home. Before I realized what I was saying, I told Emma that I had an extra room in my apartment._

 _She eyed me suspiciously, seemingly surprised at my offer. She paused a few moments while I waited, holding my breath. She finally thanked me but politely declined, saying she wasn't the "roommate type". I continued home, slightly disappointed, but I couldn't blame her. We were complete strangers after all. Even if I did feel connected to her, we know nothing about each other._

 _The next day, Emma approached me at Granny's and asked me to do Henry a favor. She wanted me to read stories from the storybook to a comatose patient at the hospital. I agreed instantly. I volunteer at the hospital at least once a week and I am more than willing to do anything for Henry and Emma. Emma took me to the hospital and gave me Henry's instructions on who the patient is and what story to read. I walk into the room and look at the man lying on the hospital bed. When I saw his face, my heart leapt to my throat and my legs turned to jelly._


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks to all who have read this and followed :D Also thanks to Belacquagirl for the review! Hope you enjoy this story and if you have any suggestions or ideas, feel free to let me know! I only have the first six chapters or so written and a few more planned.

* * *

 **Cursed Yet Uncursed**

 **Chapter 2**

 _When I saw his face, my heart leapt to my throat and my legs turned to jelly._

 _The comatose patient is Charming! Henry found my True Love. I could hardly contain my excitement when Emma pointed him out._

 _"That guy over there…He's listed as John Doe but Henry said he's 'Prince Charming' and since you're 'Snow White'," Emma laughed and shrugged. "He thinks you could help him."_

 _If only she knew…_

Mary-Margaret stopped writing and looked at her beloved. He looked so peaceful there…sleeping…not knowing about the curse.

As soon as Emma left them alone, Mary-Margaret kissed her husband with all the passion she had been unable to use while under the curse.

As soon as she had been sent to this land, she immediately began searching for Charming. She had to keep it secret from Regina of course, but after teaching at the school as Mary-Margaret, her inner bandit surfaced as she walked the streets and even the woods searching for her husband. She spent days, weeks, and months searching. Slowly, she began to lose hope. She would only go out a few days a week searching. That turned to only once a week…once a month…and finally Snow White faced the fact that he wasn't here. She assumed that he had died in her arms before the curse hit.

But now, hope had been restored!

Snow White pulled back from her husband and waited. Nothing happened. No burst of light, no burst of energy, no Charming. She kissed him repeatedly, begging him through tears to wake from his coma. Nothing.

Now her hope was slowly diminishing again.

Mary-Margaret was at the end of her rope and she didn't know what to do. Reluctantly, she began to tell her Charming about the day they met. She had to keep her promise to Henry at least, and perhaps the sound of her voice would somehow comfort him.

Halfway through the story, Mary-Margaret felt something grab her wrist. She jumped in alarm and looked down to see Charming grabbing her arm.

"Charming? Charming?!" Her fingers curled around his hand. She felt his grip tighten.

The machine's connected to him began beeping loudly, sounding a sort of alarm.

Dr. Whale burst into the room suddenly. "What's going on in here?"

Mary-Margaret shot to her feet; Charming's hand fell limply at his side again.

"No one is supposed to be in here," Dr. Whale said. He moved quickly to examine the machines and take notes.

"I was just reading to him…" Mary-Margaret licked her dry lips. Her heart pounded in her chest. Did she dare ask?

"Is he waking up?"

Dr. Whale frowned, "It was just a reflex, Miss Blanchard."

"No, he grabbed me…he heard me…he understood me!" Mary-Margaret protested.

"A simple brain fluctuation, Miss Blanchard. I think you should go home."

Realizing she had no choice, Mary-Margaret gathered her things and walked to her apartment. She didn't know if she could take it any longer. For years she had searched for Charming for him to suddenly show up now. Regina had cursed him differently. He couldn't wake up, but somehow, he knew she was there.

 _I know what I felt_ , Mary-Margaret told herself. _He heard me._

After roaming the streets for some time, thinking and pondering, Mary-Margaret decided a hot cocoa would help. She and Charming used to often drink hot chocolate together in the Enchanted Forest. To her delight, Mary-Margaret saw Emma and Henry at Granny's together, eating dinner. Mary-Margaret got her hot chocolate and slipped into the booth beside Henry.

"He grabbed my wrist!" she exclaimed.

Emma and Henry looked up in confusion.

"Char—John Doe," Mary-Margaret explained, biting her tongue to not call him Charming.

"He woke up?!" Henry bounced up and down.

"Wait…seriously?" Emma asked, obviously doubtful that Henry's plan had actually worked.

"He kinda woke up…Dr. Whale said it was just a brain fluctuation—a reflex of some sort— but he grabbed my arm."

"I know you can wake him up, Miss Blanchard," Henry told me, looking up at his teacher with big eyes.

Mary-Margaret felt encouraged by Henry's confidence. "I think he can really hear me and I'm going back to read to him again." Mary-Margaret rushed off to the hospital with Emma and Henry on her heels.

"Mary-Margaret," Emma protested. "Maybe Whale was right and this was a bad id—" Emma stopped talking when they entered John Doe's room. It was empty.

"Where is he?!" Mary-Margaret panicked. "I was just here!"

Nurses flooded the room after Mary-Margaret alerted them of their missing patient. The comatose patient was on the loose and no one could even begin to wonder where he had gone.

Regina suddenly entered the room. "How can he be missing?" she cried, worry and concern etched in her voice.

"What is she doing here?" Emma inquired.

Mary-Margaret set her jaw. _She probably made him go missing herself! She knew I was waking him up and she was afraid!_

Regina, having heard Emma's remark, turned sharply. "I could ask you the same thing, Miss Swan, but for your information, I am his emergency contact."

"Why?" Mary-Margaret blurted before she could stop herself. _Why would Regina be her husband's emergency contact?_

"Because, Miss Blanchard," Regina turned steely eyes on Mary-Margaret, "I was the one who found him. He had been in a car accident years ago." She suddenly noticed Henry hiding behind Emma. "Henry? What on earth are you doing here? You told me you were at the arcade!"

Henry winced as he realized he was in big trouble.

Emma looked down at Henry in dismay, "You lied to her? C'mon, kid!"

"We have to find John Doe," Mary-Margaret interrupted. She didn't have time to endure another feud between Regina and Emma. She needed to know what happened to Charming.

Regina flicked her gaze to the teacher. "Weren't you the last one to see him?"

Mary-Margaret fidgeted nervously. Back in her old life, Snow White would never have backed down from Regina, however in this new life Mary-Margaret was timid, shy, and meek.

"Yes…"

Regina's gaze turned slightly suspicious before she focused on the doctor. "I thought only authorized hospital personnel were allowed here."

"Miss Blanchard volunteers at the hospital often..." Dr. Whale rubbed the back of his neck.

Regina sighed in annoyance. "We will talk about this later. Henry. Car. Now. Dr. Whale, Sheriff Graham should be here shortly. Let me know when he finds John Doe."

"Let's go find him," Mary-Margaret said to Emma as soon as Regina left.

"Why are you so interested in this guy?" Emma asked.

Mary-Margaret hesitated. "Well…he has no one. And…Henry will want to know what happened to him. Plus, isn't that what you do, find people?"

"Well, yeah…"

Mary-Margaret smiled hopefully at Emma. "Please…I haven't done anything like this in years. Let me help."

Emma relented, "We better start with the security tapes."

"That's probably a good idea," an accented voice spoke up.

The group turned and saw Sheriff Graham enter the room. His sheriff's badge glinted in the lighting. "I'm the one who is supposed to be looking for this John Doe mate. If you would like to tag along, you may."

"Let's see who's in charge of security here," Emma said, leading the charge. The group ended up in the basement of the hospital. The two men working security were Leroy and Walter.

Mary-Margaret sighed softly when she saw the two men. They were part of the seven dwarves: Grumpy and Sleepy. How she missed those dwarves who were like brothers to her!

"Walter was in charge of watching the screens," Leroy muttered. "He must've fallen asleep on the job!"

"At least I'm not drunk on the job!" Walter shot back.

Mary-Margaret cringed; those two should be best friends, not fighting!

"Look, our main focus is finding John Doe. Just show us the video footage of the exits closest to John Doe's room starting at three hours ago." Sheriff Graham asked Walter politely.

The footage seemed vacant for a while but suddenly, the staggering image of John Doe appeared. Dressed only in his hospital gown, John Doe walked haltingly towards the exit door and outside into the cold.

"Where does that door lead?" Emma asked.

"The woods," Sheriff Graham sighed. "I'll get the flashlights."


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for reading guys! Thanks for the kind review, Chlollie! I hope you enjoy this story as I continue it :D

 **Some questions to answer:**

For the Guest who asked why Snow never looked for Charming, thank you for your review and you should have found your answer in chapter two. She looked for him but Regina's curse kept him hidden until Emma came. Just like the series, when Emma came, things started changing. (Also see below)

For the Guest who said it didn't make sense that Snow wouldn't search the hospital for Charming, thanks for the review! Yeah I know I'm assuming a lot of things to make this story go the way I want it to. Snow did check the hospital but Regina had Charming in a special ward where Snow wouldn't have been able to reach, or know he was there. When Emma arrives, things start changing (like the clock moving etc.) so John Doe moves to a new room, enabling Henry and Snow to find him. That's the nice thing about writing, you can bend the rules however you want them too :P

* * *

 **Cursed Yet Uncursed**

 **Chapter 3**

 _Dear Diary,_

 _In a few short hours it will be morning. I should be going to straight to bed but I need to write all this down. We had a busy night searching for Charming. I was so worried about him that I could scarcely think! To take my mind off my fears, I asked Emma about how she became a bail bondswoman. She answered me with just enough answers to be polite and informative but without divulging more than she wanted. She mentioned she was an orphan and was looking for her parents. I decided to press my luck and asked if she found her parents. She said she never did and I felt such sympathy for her that I just barely refrained from hugging the woman._

 _Just as our conversation was about to deepen, Henry appeared out of nowhere! Emma panicked slightly, muttering something about Regina killing her, then Henry, then her again. Before she could reprimand him further, Graham shouted that he found something. He found his hospital bracelet…with blood on it. I could barely stifle the sobs that threatened to escape my throat when I saw it. Graham said we needed to hurry so we quickened the pace._

 _Henry pulled me aside while Graham and Emma continued on the path. He said he needed to talk to me. I didn't want to stop looking for Charming and talk to Henry but something inside of me begged me to give him a chance…_

"Miss Blanchard, he's trying to find you!"

Mary-Margaret smiled sympathetically. "I know, sweetie."

Henry froze and stared hard at his teacher. "Wait…you….you believe me?"

"Yes, I believe you." Mary-Margaret had encouraged Henry to read the storybook and never opposed his beliefs as other adults did, yet she never told him he was right.

"I know the stories are real, Henry. That's why we need to find my Prince Charming."

Henry hugged Mary-Margaret, "Now you're part of Operation Cobra!"

"I suppose I am."

"C'mon, let's get Prince Charming!" Henry began running past Mary-Margaret but she grabbed his arm.

"You know where he is?"

"Don't you?"

Mary-Margaret cocked her head, "No…where?"

"He's trying to find you so he's going where you met! The Troll bridge!"

Mary-Margaret suddenly realized what Henry was saying. "Oh my goodness, you're right!" Mary-Margaret took off down the path and shouted for Graham and Emma to follow her. Graham and Emma had no choice but to follow as Mary-Margaret zipped into the woods and down along the creek bed.

Storybrooke conveniently resembled the Enchanted Forest in different ways. One was the old Toll bridge which looked just like the Troll bridge where Snow White and Charming met.

Mary-Margaret carefully shone her flashlight up and down the rocky bed. _He has to be here…he has to…_

"Oh my goodness!" Mary-Margaret dropped her flashlight and sprinted across the rocks. "Oh my goodness!"

"Mary-Margaret!" Emma shouted, rushing after her.

Sheriff Graham seized his walkie-talkie. "I need an ambulance at the old toll bridge! ASAP!"

Mary-Margaret fell to her knees in the shallow water by John Doe. "No, no, no, no! I found you! It's going to be okay!" Tears clouded her vision as she held his face in her hands. "I can't lose you," she whispered into his ear.

"What's wrong? Is he gonna be okay?" Henry's worried voice carried to the adults.

Emma left John Doe and ran to Henry. She grabbed him in a hug and turned him away from the scene. "He'll be okay, kid. Don't look."

"This doesn't look good," Sheriff Graham said quietly to Mary-Margaret. "Help is on the way but…"

"We're going to save him," Mary-Margaret insisted. She performed CPR on John Doe to get him breathing again, but it wasn't working. "Come back to me," she whispered, as she gave him mouth-to-mouth.

A strangled cough and a stream of water projected from John Doe's mouth. He coughed numerous times as his eyes fluttered open.

Mary-Margaret couldn't help the tears that flowed as she looked into her beloved's eyes.

"You…found me," John Doe said, gazing back at Mary-Margaret.

"She did it…she woke him up!" Henry exclaimed.

Emma watched in amazement at the coincident that just took place. "Yeah, kid, she did."

Mary-Margaret stroked her husband's cheek. "You're going to be fine."

John Doe continued to look Mary-Margaret dead in the eye. After a few more shaky breaths, he asked, "Who are you?"

Mary-Margaret's smile faded. "It's me…"

"You know him?" Sheriff Graham interrupted.

No recognition registered in Charming's face as he looked at Mary-Margaret. Her heart broke at the blank stare her husband gave her.

"No…I don't know him." Mary-Margaret sat back on her heels. Charming wasn't Charming here…he was John Doe. This was all part of Regina's curse. She wanted Snow White to suffer. She allowed her to keep her memories so she remembered all the good times and all her loved ones and Regina was now forcing her to watch her loved ones in their new lives.

 _…the five of us went back to the hospital to be sure that my Charming would be alright. My worst nightmare happened when we returned to the hospital. A pretty blonde woman was waiting for us—Kathryn Nolan. She claimed to be Charming's wife. Regina gave Charming a new wife instead of me! How can I cope with this? I was so excited to have found him. I thought he had died back in the Enchanted Forest after the Black Knights attacked him. I had lost hope, but when I found him tonight, hope was restored, only to have it smashed to smithereens. How can I break this curse without Charming's help?_

 _After being certain Charming was alright, Kathryn came up to me and thanked me for finding him. She told me they were having marital problems and he left in a huff one day. Three days later, Regina found him on the side of the road._

 _Dr. Whale finished examining Charming and told us that he has no recollection of his past life. He said being around someone familiar should bring back his memories. While Kathryn went to see David (she calls Charming David), Henry spoke to me. He whispered that I need to spend time with him if we want him to remember his real life as my Charming. Before I could answer, Regina entered, making some speech about how True Love had won and how wonderful it was to see David and Kathryn together again._

 _After that, I headed home. I was depressed and hurting. How was I supposed to spend time with Charming when he was married to another woman? I didn't know how to get to him. So much good had happened this week with Emma and Henry but now…I feel as if I have nothing to live for. Then I received a surprise. Someone knocked on my door…_

Mary-Margaret stood and cautiously opened the door. As she peeked around the door, she beheld a familiar face in a red leather jacket.

"Emma."

"I'm sorry to bother you so late…is that spare room open?" Emma shifted her weight from one foot to the other as she waited.

Mary-Margaret smiled kindly at Emma. "Of course." She beckoned her inside and led the way to the bedroom. "Let me just find some blankets and bed sheets…" Mary-Margaret flew around the house, making up the bed for Emma and gathering anything else she might need.

"Are you hungry? I could make us a snack," Mary-Margaret offered.

"No thanks. I'm just tired, as I assume you are too. I'm just going to hit the hay, if that's okay with you," Emma answered.

"It is late," Mary-Margaret agreed. "Well…goodnight, Emma."

"Night," Emma said with a small smile.


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry all for the late update. I've had a really busy week with no time for writing!

Thanks for coming back :D I'm having so much fun writing this! Special thanks to Ghostwriter for your kind review!

For the Guest who said you like the idea but questions if Regina knows that Snow remembers, thanks for the review! And yes, Regina knows that Snow remembers, you will see that coming up soon. Also, you said you expected Snow to be more like Snow rather than Mary Margaret. I understand what you mean and here is my reasoning. Regina cursed Snow with a new identity as well as her old memories so she is cursed to remember her life as Snow but live as Mary-Margaret. She's lived as Mary-Margaret for twenty-eight years no. As the curse unravels, Snow will act more like her old self. I am still working on writing about David, Mary-Margaret, and Abigail so you will have to stay tuned to find out :D And, I address Snow thinking about baby Emma in an upcoming chapter.

I hope you enjoy this next installment.

* * *

 **Cursed Yet Uncursed 4**

Mary-Margaret woke up at her usual time the following morning. A pair of black boots and a discarded leather jacket by the door indicated that Emma was still asleep. Eager to make Emma's first day in her apartment pleasant, Mary-Margaret whipped up a batch of waffles.

The scent of waffles brought Emma downstairs a half-hour later. She stumbled right into the bathroom and reappeared looking slightly more awake.

"Good morning," Mary-Margaret chirped.

"Mornin'." Emma sat down at the breakfast bar and glanced around the kitchen.

"Here," Mary-Margaret pushed a plate of warm waffles in front of Emma and went to get the maple syrup.

"Wow, you made breakfast?"

"Of course, I thought it might be nice for your first morning here."

Emma doused her waffles in the syrup her new roommate handed her and took a bite. "Mmm. I haven't had breakfast from scratch in…I don't know when."

Mary-Margaret sipped her tea and finished off her own plate of waffles. "You're always on the move?"

"Yeah with my job it's just easier to grab something on the run." Emma rinsed off her plate and dropped it in the sink. "I promised Henry I'd walk him to school. I'll see you tonight."

"Will you be home for dinner?" Mary-Margaret called as Emma grabbed her jacket.

"Ah…don't worry about it. I'll get something."

 _Dear Diary,_

 _Life has changed so much in only twenty-four hours. I found my true love and I got a new roommate. And according to Henry, I've joined "Operation Cobra". During recess, he came up to me and filled me in with some of the details. He said he's been reading the storybook and looking for clues on how to break the curse. He said he had some ideas but nothing positive yet._

 _In other news, Emma is really focusing on staying in Storybrooke permanently. When she came home this evening, she told me that Sheriff Graham had offered her a job as his deputy. If you ask me, I think he's crushing on her and simply wants to spend more time with her. That being said, she does have experience and Graham could use the help. She is calling him back now to accept the job. I'm glad she's found a job so fast. She's the kind of person who needs to keep busy._

 _Mr. Gold stopped by right after dinner and asked to speak with Emma. That's why I'm writing now. He and Emma have been discussing something for a while now. I wonder what they're talking about…_

"Hey, Mary-Margaret?"

Mary-Margaret stuffed her journal under her pillow and met Emma at the dining table. "Yes?"

"What do you know about Ashley Boyd?

"Ashley Boyd…hmmm, she got pregnant right out of high school and unfortunately, her boyfriend dumped her when he learned the news." Mary-Margaret frowned sympathetically.

"What about family?" Emma inquired.

"Just a step-mother and two step-sisters but they do _not_ get along at all. It really is a sad situation. She works as a waitress and is trying to save up money. I don't know much else."

Emma crossed her arms. "That Mr. Gold dude wants me to find her…"

"Why?"

"Well, he said she had stolen from him—which she did—but I found out from her ex-boyfriend that she sold her baby to Gold…like I did," she added quietly.

"She's giving her baby to him?" Mary-Margaret squeaked. _She can't do that! She can't let Rumpelstiltskin have her baby!_

 _ **Enchanted Forest twenty-eight years ago...**_

 _Snow White gripped Charming's hand and screamed._

" _One more push and she's here!" Doc encouraged._

" _You can do it, Snow," Charming whispered in his wife's ear._

 _The Dark One suddenly appeared in Snow White's bedchamber as the new parents sat together, cradling a tiny baby in their arms. The Dark One waved his hand; the baby poofed away and appeared in his arms._

 _Prince Charming bolted from the bed. "Dark One! Give me my daughter!"_

" _You'll thank me later!" Rumpelstiltskin replied._

 _Charming seized his sword and charged at Rumpelstiltskin. The Dark One waved his hand and a dozen of Regina's Black Knights appeared and attacked the prince._

" _Charming!" Snow White shrieked in panic._

" _My apologies, milady," Rumpelstiltskin bowed and poofed out of the room._

" _NO!" Snow sobbed as her baby vanished with the Dark One._

Mary-Margaret drew a sharp breath. The Dark One had stolen her baby girl. She couldn't believe how evil a person must be to kill an innocent baby.

Emma griped, bringing Mary-Margaret back to reality. "Yeah…ugh I'm so stupid! I met her today at Granny's and I encouraged her to fight and make her own choices. Now I think she robbed Gold and is trying to run away."

"What are you going to do?"

"I have to find her. It's my fault." Emma seized her car keys and opened the door. As she opened the door, Henry flew in.

"Kid!" Emma moaned. "I'm leaving, you can't stay here."

"But—" Henry said.

"He can stay with me," Mary-Margaret volunteered. "When you come back, you can take him home."

Emma mulled the idea over, "Alright. See you later, kid." She ruffled his hair and headed out the door.

Henry turned to smile at Mary-Margaret. "I was actually here to see you. I need your help figuring out who everyone's fairytale counterpart is." Henry pulled the storybook out of his backpack and opened it. He and his teacher sat down on the couch and began looking through the book. Mary-Margaret helped Henry match up the Storybrooke residents with their fairytale identity. After spending twenty-eight years in Storybrooke, she had learned pinpointed who many of her friends were.

"Dr. Hopper…he has to be Jiminy Cricket, right?"

"Mhm," Mary-Margaret nodded.

"Ashley has a step-mother and two step-sisters so she has to be Cinderella," Henry said, flipping to the story of Cinderella.

"Ashley is Cinderella," Mary-Margaret confirmed, "which makes her boyfriend, Sean, Prince Thomas."

"Ashley's the reason Emma had to leave tonight, right?" Henry asked.

Mary-Margaret looked at Henry in surprise. "How did you know?"

"I heard you talking through the door," Henry confessed. "She's giving away her baby to Mr. Gold?"

"Rumpelstiltskin…" Mary-Margaret sighed.

"Mr. Gold is Rumpelstiltskin?!" Henry panicked. He flipped through the pages of the book.

"Right, so you need to be very careful around him. If he or Regina finds out about Operation Cobra, we are in _big_ trouble."

Henry looked up at Mary-Margaret, "You remember you had a baby, right?"

"Yes, Henry, I remember," Mary-Margaret replied sadly.

"Does it make you sad to remember?" Henry asked gently.

The teacher couldn't help but smile slightly at Henry's tenderness. "It does. I miss her everyday."

"But now that E—"

Mary-Margaret's phone went off, ending Henry's sentence.

"Hello? Emma...is everything alright? You're at the hospital? Okay...yes...I will. Bye." Mary-Margaret closed her phone. "She found Ashley and they went to the hospital. Emma wants me to take you home though."

Henry bit his lip, glancing down at his book then back at his teacher.

"Is there something you want to tell me?" Mary-Margaret asked, suspecting something was wrong.

Henry closed the book and stood up. "No, ma'am." Under his breath he whispered, "I don't think she's ready."

Mary-Margaret decided against responding. Instead, she helped Henry into his coat and walked down the sidewalk to the mayor's mansion.


	5. Chapter 5

Sorry that it's been a while since the last update! Thanks so much for the reviews and the follows and favorites! It makes my day when I get emails announcing new reviews, followers, and favorites! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

 **Cursed Yet Uncursed 5**

 _Dear Diary,_

 _Ashley had a beautiful baby girl and Sean decided to step back in as little Alexandra's father. Emma somehow worked it out with Mr. Gold to allow Ashley and Sean to keep Alex._

 _Otherwise, life is still complicated. I'm still working my volunteer hours at the hospital and I've been spending any extra minute I have with Charming—er, David. Kathryn works during the day so he gets bored all by himself. I've taken to playing games with him; entertaining him. He seems to enjoy my company and I know I enjoy his!_

 _Emma has been busy with her new deputy job. There was an accident at the old mine early yesterday and she was busy helping Graham. However, this morning she made time to listen to my woes. Turns out, my new roommate has quickly become my relationship advisor. Whoever would've thought that I would be asking a bail bondswoman who had a baby in prison because of a boyfriend who ratted her out for relationship advice concerning a man who is technically my husband! The real world certainly is an upside world._

 _While Emma was attempting to advise me with my David/Charming/Kathryn situation, Henry called Emma, sobbing his poor heart out. Long story short, Dr. Hopper told Henry the fairytales and he had to stop believing. Aside from me, Dr. Hopper was the only other person who encouraged Henry's belief in fairytales…_

"I'm gonna tell that—"

"Emma!" Mary-Margaret interrupted before Emma used her colorful language in front of Henry.

Emma bit her tongue in time and shoved her phone into Mary-Margaret's hands. "Calm him down while I deal with Archie."

Emma was out the door before Mary-Margaret could react. She held the phone to her ear, "Henry? You still there?"

"Yes…" came the tearful reply.

"Whatever Dr. Hopper told you, don't believe it. The stories are real. I am Snow White. This is just Regina trying to stop us."

"Are you sure you're not just saying that to make me feel better?"

"Henry, of course not."

"It doesn't matter. Either way I still need proof. I'll see you later, Miss Blanchard."

 _CLICK_

Mary-Margaret set down Emma's phone and sighed. "Proof. He's right. We need proof if we hope to bring back everyone's memories."

* * *

 _Dear Diary,_

 _This afternoon, I ran into Charming—er, David. He asked me to go for a walk with him. I was surprised at his request but he insisted it was for his physical therapy._

 _I convinced him to walk outside so he could get some sunshine. We had a good time, just enjoying each other's company. Then he dropped the bombshell…_

"Mary-Margaret?" David asked.

"Yes?"

David took a deep breath and blinked a few times. "Nothing…n-nothing seems right about this world."

Mary-Margaret's heart melted at the sad tone in David's voice. "I know," she said gently, resisting the urge to cup his face in her hand. "But in a little while—"

"Wait, I didn't finish," David interrupted.

Mary-Margaret folded her hands in front of her and waited.

"Nothing seems right about this world…" he exhaled deeply, "except you."

Mary-Margaret's heart skipped a beat. "What?"

David turned and looked at her. "I know it's crazy, but I swear, you're the only thing that seems right to me." He moved closer to her.

Mary-Margaret could feel his nearness and feel the penetrating stare of his luminous eyes. She felt herself leaning closer and closer when suddenly David reeled back.

"Kathryn."

"Right," Mary-Margaret said in disappointment.

"David?"

Mary-Margaret stepped back as Mrs. Nolan joined the group. While David greeted his wife, Mary-Margaret stood quietly. _Was he remembering? He said that she felt right to him. Something about her was familiar to him. Was the curse weakening? Was there a way to win this David over and convince him of who he really was?_

"That's terrible!" David exclaimed, pulling Mary-Margaret from her thoughts.

"What is?" Mary-Margaret asked the Nolans.

"You know there was an accident at the old mine yesterday," Kathryn explained. "Well, they're sending nurses over to the scene now. It seems Dr. Hopper and a little boy have been trapped in the mine."

"A little boy…" Mary-Margaret repeated. _Henry…proof…_ "Oh no, Henry! I need to go." Mary-Margaret raced around the hospital to the parking lot and jumped in her car, speeding to the old mine as fast as she could. She spotted Emma surrounded by firemen, Sheriff Graham, and Regina a few yards away from the old mine.

"Emma!" Mary-Margaret ducked under the caution tape and bolted towards the blonde. "I heard about Henry; what happened exactly?"

Emma looked a bit panicked and flustered. "When we talked on the phone this morning, he kept talking about how 'things are changing' and he needed 'proof to make everyone believe' and then later, Regina couldn't find him but Archie said he would be here. When we came to look for him, Archie found this."

Sheriff Graham extended his hands to show Henry's favorite candy bar.

"He and Archie are inside the mine. Archie went after him and then another tremor happened, sealing them inside."

Mary-Margaret's hands covered her mouth. "They're trapped?"

"Yes, so please stop distracting Miss Swan so she can rescue my son!" Regina barked.

One of the firemen finished hooking Emma up to some cables and the others pulled off the iron cover of an air shaft. Emma pulled off her leather jacket and tossed it at Mary-Margaret.

"Be careful," Mary-Margaret blurted.

Emma glanced at Mary-Margaret before nodding at the firemen to lower her down.

While Emma descended into the mine, Mary-Margaret worked up the courage to confront Regina.

"You made Archie tell Henry that fairytales aren't real," she stated.

Regina stared at Mary-Margaret. "Excuse me, Miss Blanchard?"

"You don't want Henry to believe. You don't want him to break your curse."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Regina spat.

"Oh yes I do, _step-mother_ ," Mary-Margaret hissed under her breath.

Regina's eyes narrowed and she pulled the brunette away from the crowds. "You can't break the curse. That's why I allowed you to keep your memories, so you can suffer here with no way to break the curse and no Prince Charming to help you."

"But why hurt Henry in our feud? At least spare him the torture!" Mary-Margaret begged.

"Fairytales aren't real anymore. There is no Evil Queen, Prince Charming, stupid dwarves, and there certainly isn't any Snow White. I don't want you filling Henry's head with nonsense."

"Regina—"

" _Miss Blanchard_ , I believe I made myself clear. My curse is unbreakable. You aren't Snow White anymore; you are Mary-Margaret Blanchard. Get used to it."

"But why? Why destroy everyone's happy endings and send us all to this new land with new memories?"

"Because this is _my_ happy ending."

* * *

Mary-Margaret waited for Emma, Henry, and Dr. Hopper to be pulled to safety. After her talk with Regina, she wanted to speak to Dr. Hopper about his meetings with Henry. She didn't like that Dr. Hopper was taking orders from Regina and she didn't need anyone else crushing Henry's beliefs.

Suddenly, loose blonde curls peeked out of the air shaft and firemen crammed around the opening to haul everyone to safety. As soon as Henry's feet touched the ground, Regina grabbed him in a tight hug and took him far away from the mine and air shaft. As soon as Emma shook off her ropes, she ran after them. Thankfully, that left Mary-Margaret with Dr. Hopper.

"Archie," she said, catching his arm. "You alright?"

"Yes, thank-you," Dr. Hopper grinned his sideways grin.

"I need to talk to you."

Dr. Hopper's grin faded slightly, "Okay, here or in my office?"

"Here," Mary-Margaret said, letting go of his arm. "It's about Henry. Archie, how could you tell him that—"

Dr. Hopper held up his hands. "Mary-Margaret, I know. I made a big mistake and I already made it right with Henry."

"Wait, you…" Mary-Margaret hesitated, the words "remember" right on the tip of her tongue.

"I told him I don't remember, but Henry means well and these stories help him so I can easily work with them. Either way, I can't allow anyone else to tell me how to do my job." Dr. Hopper picked up his umbrella, "Speaking of which, I need to speak to Madame Mayor." He nodded respectfully at Mary-Margaret and headed Regina's direction.

Mary-Margaret watched as Regina and Dr. Hopper began conversing. Henry took this opportunity to run to Mary-Margaret's side.

"I think I might have found some proof," he whispered. He grabbed her in a hug and while doing so, stuffed something pointy into Mary-Margaret's sweater pocket.

"Henry—"

"Gotta go, we'll talk later at school," Henry raced off to find Emma.

Mary-Margaret reached into her pocket and felt the pointed object. It was hard, yet smooth. It had a glassy feel and was sharp on the edges as if it had been cut or broken. Mary-Margaret turned and walked towards her car. Once her back was turned, she pulled out the object. Her eyes eagerly inspected the proof Henry had found. He was right; this was proof! Mary-Margaret—or Snow White rather—knew exactly what that was.

It was a piece of her glass coffin.


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry about the wait! Last week I was at a summer camp so I couldn't post or write anything. Here's the next chapter, hope you enjoy.**

* * *

Cursed yet Uncursed Chapter 6

* * *

 _D_ _ear Diary,_

 _Operation Cobra is in full swing now. Henry found part of my glass coffin down in the old mine. If that was down there…who knows what else could be? I spoke to Emma about going back down in the mine, saying it would be cool to get some of the old mining equipment to show my students. Emma said since the main entrance is blocked up, there's no other known way to get in and she said it would be too dangerous anyways. I need to think of something different._

 _Since the places here resemble places from the Enchanted Forest, maybe there are things here from the Enchanted Forest. Maybe there are magical objects that could help me break the curse. I think I'll have to pay "Mr. Gold" a visit and explore his shop. If there are magical objects here, I'm sure it would be with Rumpelstiltskin._

 _Last night, David Nolan was discharged from the hospital. Kathryn and Regina threw him a big party at his house last night and invited most of the town. Emma went with Henry, but I opted to stay home. Of course I wanted to go just to see him and be near him…but the situation is just too tempting for me. He has some sort of feelings for me which I am thrilled about, however Kathryn makes the situation messy. For the sake of everyone, I am trying to avoid intimate interactions until I can figure things out._

 _That being said, I was taking a night walk while everyone else was at the party and I ran into a familiar face…_

"You weren't at the party," a soft, masculine voice called.

Mary-Margaret jumped, hand over her heart. "Ch—David!"

He came up from behind Mary-Margaret and fell into step with her.

"Shouldn't you be at your party?" Mary-Margaret asked.

David shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know hardly anyone there. I know you, but you didn't come."

"I figured it would be best," Mary-Margaret shoved her hands in her pockets. Her left hand curled around the glass shard from her coffin in the Enchanted Forest. Her mind shifted back to the day Charming woke her out of her sleeping curse.

The two walked in silence for a while before David broke it again. "I don't mean to make things awkward. It's just…hard."

Mary-Margaret smiled sympathetically. "It is."

"There's just something about you that I feel connected to. Maybe because you saved me…I'm not sure, but what I feel with you…it's more real than what I share with Kathryn."

Mary-Margaret bit her lip. To hear her husband so lost and confused ripped her heart to shreds. She locked eyes with him as they continued walking.

"David…I think—" Mary-Margaret's sentence ended in a squeak as she tripped on a crack in the sidewalk and plummeted forward.

"Mary-Margaret!" David knelt down beside her and grabbed her arm. "Are you okay?"

Mary-Margaret nodded and giggled nervously. She couldn't believe she had tripped like that in front of David. If it really was her Charming beside her, he would've teased her endlessly. She allowed David to take her hand and pull her to her feet. She shoved her hands back in her pockets. To her horror, she found her left pocket empty.

"Oh no!"

"What?" David questioned.

"I lost something!"

"When?"

"Just now when I fell," Mary-Margaret dropped to her knees and searched the sidewalk.

David crouched beside her. "What are we looking for?"

"It's a little piece of glass…it's a…heirloom kinda."

"This?"

Mary-Margaret glanced over and saw David clutching her glass shard. "Yes!"

David stared intently at the glass in his hand. "I know this…"

"What do you mean?"

"I've seen this before…like in a dream or something."

"What was the dream about?" Mary-Margaret ventured to ask.

"I don't remember…I just know that this glass…I've seen it before."

"Well…perhaps your memories are starting to return," Mary-Margaret smiled.

David handed Mary-Margaret her glass. "Maybe." He looked at his watch. "It's getting late…Kathryn will be worried."

Mary-Margaret nodded, trying to mask her disappointment.

"Will I see you again?"

Mary-Margaret's eyes met his. She slowly nodded before turning back towards her apartment while her Prince Charming returned to his home.

"Mary-Margaret!"

Mary-Margaret turned and saw Sheriff Graham walking towards her. She waited as he jogged up to her. His hair was rumpled, his shirt was untucked, and his skin was sweaty, as if he had been running hard.

"Graham…is everything alright?"

"I need to talk to you." Graham's eyes flicked around nervously, "But not here."

"My apartment is right here," Mary-Margaret gestured up the street. She led the way inside the apartment and switched on some lights. "Please, have a seat, anywhere."

Graham carefully sat down at the table and Mary-Margaret sat across from him.

"Is everything okay?" Mary-Margaret asked.

"I think we—I think we know each other."

Mary-Margaret smiled in confusion, "Of course we do."

"No, no. Not from here. Not from Storybrooke."

"From where then?"

"Another life." Graham raked a hand through his hair. "Do you believe in past lives?"

Mary-Margaret's heart skipped a beat. Is Graham remembering? "I suppose I do…why?"

"I've been having these…dreams," Graham said. "But they aren't exactly dreams because I have them during the day and night. It's like they're flashbacks…"

"What happens in these flashbacks?" Mary-Margaret inquired.

"I…have an arrow and there's a wolf…and you're there too."

* * *

 _Dear Diary,_

 _Graham is the Huntsman Regina sent to kill me! I can't believe I didn't piece it together sooner. It all makes sense now; the way Regina controls him. His memories are starting to return…like Charming's are. The curse is beginning to weaken. I sent Graham to visit Henry and talk to him about the storybook. I think it will boost Henry's confidence when he discovers who Graham is and I think the storybook will give Graham more of his past memories._

 _Now that I know Graham is the Huntsman and he is being controlled by Regina, I came up with an idea. Since Emma obviously has feelings for Graham, perhaps if I encourage her relationship with Graham, I can get Graham away from the clutches of Regina. I just need Emma to realize that she is in love with Graham and gently push her to take their relationship to the next level…_

Mary Margaret sighed. This was harder than she thought it would be. Emma did not want to talk about Graham today.

"What's so obvious?" Emma asked defensively, hands on her hips.

"It's obvious to everyone—except apparently you. You have feelings for Graham."

"Come on!" Emma rolled her eyes.

"There's that wall."

"That is not a wall."

 _So stubborn_ , Mary-Margaret thought. _She kinda reminds me of someone….can't think of who though._ "Really?"

"There's nothing wrong with being cautious," Emma retorted.

"Oh true, true. But, Emma, that wall of yours, it may keep out pain, but it also may keep out love."

Emma didn't have a response for that. Mary-Margaret calmly left the room, confident that her words had hit home. Now she just hoped that by taking Graham away from Regina would somehow weaken the Evil Queen and her curse.


	7. Chapter 7

Thank you all so much for the follows, favorites, and reviews!

 **Cursed, yet Uncursed Chapter 7**

* * *

Late that night, Mary-Margaret was washing dishes. Emma hadn't come home for dinner; Mary-Margaret assumed she ate at Granny's. She figured she would finish the dishes and curl up with a good book. She needed a break from thinking about the curse. Hopefully reading a fiction book would clear her mind.

 _BTZZ BTZZ_

Mary-Margaret dried off her hands and reached for her cell phone. "Hello?"

"Mary-Margaret, you have to—the ambulance is here—he's not responding—" A panicked Emma responded. "He said he remembered and then said Henry and you understood him—I don't know what to do!"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down," Mary-Margaret said in a calming tone. "Emma, take a deep breath and tell me what happened."

"Graham's dead."

"What?!" Mary-Margaret gasped. "Where are you?"

"The station."

"I'll be right there."

Mary-Margaret made it to the station in record time. She found a crowd forming around the sheriff's station. Red and blue lights flashed and reflected off the windows of the sheriff's station. Mary-Margaret slammed her car door shut and ran up the sidewalk. She maneuvered through the hallway, dodging firemen and EMTs, and entered the station.

A body bag sat in the middle of the floor—obviously full with Graham's body. Two EMTs cleaned up their equipment and began to vacate the room with Graham's body in tow. Emma stood beside the body bag, watching the bag as if staring hard enough would bring Graham back.

Mary-Margaret cautiously approached Emma. "Emma?"

Emma's gaze fell to the floor as the EMTs left with the body bag.

Mary-Margaret stepped closer. "Emma…I am so sorry." _I could kick myself for thinking I could use Graham and Emma to outsmart Regina! Now look what I've done!_

Emma gave no indication that she could hear Mary-Margaret. Her face was stone and her eyes were lifeless. Her walls were sky high again.

"Emma, I think we should go home." Mary-Margaret reached out and let her finger tips gently brush against Emma's arm.

Emma's head turned slowly towards Mary-Margaret. "Home?"

The brunette nodded and motioned for Emma to follow her. Emma grabbed her things and followed Mary-Margaret outside and into her car.

"You were right. I loved him."

Mary-Margaret paused with her key in the ignition. "What?"

"Graham. I did have feelings for him. Tonight, I decided it was time I show him my feelings; it was time to let down my walls. When we kissed…it was great. Then he just collapsed. His heart stopped just like that." Emma sighed, "I'm just a curse, aren't I? Nothing works out for me. Family, love, work, everything falls apart for me."

"No, Emma," Mary-Margaret said quickly. "You are not a curse. You've just had a really tough time."

"My parents didn't want me and neither did any of the foster families I lived with. None of my boyfriends stayed with me more than a few short months, and work always has me rushing around. I just wasn't meant to live a good life."

"You have to believe that good will come to you, Emma," Mary-Margaret said firmly. "You need to have hope."

"I hoped for a long time," Emma said bitterly. "I hoped I would find my parents. I hoped Neal and I would live together forever. I hoped I could keep my son. Every time I had hope, I was disappointed."

* * *

 _Dear Diary,_

 _Since Graham passed away, Emma has taken the responsibility of Sheriff. Of course, Regina opposed her and took it to a vote. But Emma buckled down and with the help of Mr. Gold, she won!_

 _However, Emma is going through a lot of pain. She busies herself with work and hides her pain behind her walls, but after living with her for the past few days, I am learning to see past those walls._

 _I have been trying to think of ways to cheer her up or give her hope. Giving her another hope spiel won't help. I have to do something else. I thought back to when I was Snow White living as a bandit. Regina and her Black Knights were out to kill me. I lived in constant fear and I had no future to look forward too—until Charming came along. Graham was Emma's Prince Charming and he made her future look bright. Emma opened her heart up again in hopes of finding love only to have it thrown back in her face by fate. Now that he's gone, Emma sees no future._

 _I've been through plenty of bleak times in my life. I chose to let my mother die rather than darken my heart, I lost my father, the Evil Queen sought to kill me, I almost die at the hands of the Huntsman, I drank a potion to forget my True Love, and I was cursed to never have children. Yet I still made it past those points and retained my hope! Perhaps if she reads my story—Snow White's story—she will realize that there is still hope even in the darkest of circumstances. I just need to borrow Henry's book…_

* * *

"So…why do you need it again?" Henry looked from his storybook to his teacher.

Mary-Margaret leaned across her desk. "To study it for Operation Cobra. I'm not familiar with all the stories. I need a refresher anyways." Mary-Margaret didn't want to tell Henry the real reason she wanted to show Emma the book. She needed Emma to find hope on her own, not from herself or Henry.

Henry seemed hesitant, yet he slid the storybook across the desk into Mary-Margaret's awaiting hands.

"Thank-you, Henry. I'll take good care of it and get it back to you on Monday."

Henry grinned and headed for the door. "See ya, Miss Blanchard."

"Goodbye, Henry." Mary-Margaret pushed the book into her book bag closed the top. When she looked up, she gasped.

Mr. Gold stood in the doorway to Mary-Margaret's classroom. "Hello, Miss Blanchard," he spoke in a voice that sounded like it came from between clenched teeth.

"Mr. Gold," Mary-Margaret returned softly. "Can I help you?"

"Something turned up in my store the other day that I think might have belonged to you."

"Oh?"

"Come by my store after dinner tonight and I'll get it for you," Mr. Gold said. He turned on his heel and stepped out of the classroom and into the hallway.

Mary-Margaret frowned; Gold had something up his sleeve and she was afraid of what it was.


	8. Chapter 8

Sorry it has been so long! I hit writer's block and now that I'm in college, it's been even worse. Excuses excuses though...

If any of you would be interested in working out some sort of a co-writing thing, I'm open to give it a try! I don't want this story to die and maybe if I get someone who wants to bring new inspiration and help me write, this story will continue. I'll do my best to keep getting chapters out, but if you'd like to help me write this, PM me!

* * *

 **Cursed Yet Uncursed 8**

Mary-Margaret started dinner and sat down on her bed to read Henry's storybook. She wanted to read her story before she tried to prompt Emma to read it.

She reached the part in the story where Snow White discovers she is pregnant and flipped the page. A picture appeared of Rumpelstiltskin accompanied by Regina. Mary-Margaret cocked her head; what did they have to do with this part of the story? She read on intently.

 _Rumpelstiltskin laughed and clapped his hands together. "How splendid! The Evil Queen is coming to me for help!"_

 _"Shut up, imp!" the Evil Queen snarled. "I asked you a question! You said that the curse I'm about to enact can be broken. How?"_

 _"And what do I get in return?"_

 _"Name your price."_

 _"I want stability in this new land. I want to live comfortably with wealth and position. And if I ask you for a favor, you will do it, so long as I say… 'please'!" The Dark One leapt into the air and laughed hysterically._

 _The Evil Queen rolled her eyes. "Fine. Now tell me how my curse can be broken!"_

 _"Snow White and Prince Charming's unborn child. The child will be your undoing. The product of True Love possesses great power."_

 _"I have to make sure that baby dies."_

 _Rumpelstiltskin shook his head, "You don't want the guilt of killing a babe weighing over your head. Allow me to do the pleasure."_

 _The Evil Queen eyed the Dark One warily. "And why would you help me?"_

 _"Snow White and Prince Charming locked me in here. I'm feeling a bit…vengeful."_

 _"As soon as the child is born, kill it."_

Mary-Margaret gasped and read on. She had not been aware that her child was the key to breaking the curse.

 _Snow White gripped Charming's hand and screamed._

 _"One more push and she's here!" Doc encouraged._

 _"You can do it, Snow," Charming whispered in his wife's ear._

 _Meanwhile, the Evil Queen watched her step-daughter through her magic mirror. She stood and said, "Rumpelstiltskin, Rumpelstiltskin, Rumpelstiltskin."_

 _"You called?" the Dark One poofed into the room and bowed._

 _"Snow White is having her baby. Go take care of the baby then report back here so I can finish the curse."_

 _"Oh goodie!" Rumpelstiltskin rubbed his hands together. He poofed away and appeared in Snow White's bedchamber. Snow White and Charming sat together, cradling a tiny baby in their arms._

This is for your own good, _Rumpelstiltskin thought as he waved his hand. The baby poofed away and appeared in his arms._

 _Prince Charming bolted from the bed. "Dark One! Give me my daughter!"_

 _"You'll thank me later!" Rumpelstiltskin replied._

 _Charming seized his sword and charged at Rumpelstiltskin. The Dark One waved his hand and a dozen of Regina's Black Knights appeared and attacked the prince._

 _"Charming!" Snow White shrieked in panic._

 _"My apologies, milady," Rumpelstiltskin bowed and poofed out of the room._

 _"NO!" Snow sobbed as her baby vanished with the Dark One._

 _Prince Charming had his hands full with the Black Knights. They began to overpower him, backing him into a corner._

 _Rumpelstiltskin reappeared in his castle and gently set the child down in wardrobe. The child wailed while the Dark One moved around, collecting bottles and vials._

 _"I'm sorry it has to be this way, but I need you to break the curse. I'm sending you to the real world ahead of time. On your twenty-eighth birthday, you must come back to us and break the curse." The Dark One closed the wardrobe doors and tossed a mixture of magical potions on it. "Find us, little one."_

Mary-Margaret stared at the page. Her baby was alive? She had assumed Rumpelstiltskin had killed her daughter with the idea of revenge for capturing him in the prison. News that her daughter was alive somewhere, made Mary-Margaret fill with unspeakable joy.

 _"It's here! It's here!" Grumpy's shout penetrated the walls._

 _Snow White shouted to her husband who was still battling, "Charming, the curse!"_

 _Charming looked to his broken wife and back at the Black Knights. "I'm coming, Snow!" He valiantly wielded his sword and with renewed strength, fought off the Black Knights. The final Black Knight thrust his sword at Charming and caught him in the side. Charming lunged at the same time and stabbed the man in the heart. The two fell together._

 _"Charming!" Snow screamed. She crawled off the bed and painfully made her way to her husband's body. "No, stay with me!"_

 _"Snow…"_

 _"Charming."_

 _"I love you," he gasped._

 _"I love you too," Snow sniffed, brushing away tears. "Hang on…don't leave me. I already lost my baby, I can't lose you as well!"_

 _The bedroom doors flung open and Regina marched into the room._

 _"Oh, don't worry, dear. In a few moments you won't remember you knew him, let alone loved him. As for your baby, well, can't say I'm sorry for your loss."_

 _Snow White tearfully cradled Charming's head in her lap. "Why did you do this?"_

 _Regina laughed, "Because this is_ my _happy ending."_

"Whatcha reading?"

Mary-Margaret jumped and looked up as Emma sank to the bed beside her. "Nothing."

"Nothing?" Emma glanced at the book. "Isn't that Henry's storybook?"

"He left it at school so I brought it home with me to keep it safe."

"Henry said you're the one who gave him the book."

"I did," Mary-Margaret nodded. "I…loved fairytales when I was younger. I thought maybe he would love them too."

"I've never seen a storybook like that before," Emma commented. "They're so different from the normal stories." She glanced at the story Mary-Margaret was reading. "Yeah, like Snow White had a kid!"

"I don't recall reading this one," Mary-Margaret scanned the page, her mind still reeling at the thought of her child actually being alive. Rumpelstiltskin had lied to Regina and instead, saved her baby who would come to save them!

Emma broke Mary-Margaret's thoughts, "That's the first one Henry read to me. He told me it was his favorite."

"Mmm, why is that?" Mary-Margaret asked with curiosity. Henry had never showed her this story. Why had he hid it if it was his favorite story?

"That's the story I'm in. Apparently, I'm the daughter of Prince Charming and Snow White."


	9. Chapter 9

Here's another chapter! It ends kinda abruptly but I needed to break up this segment because it gets really long. Hopefully this chapter lives up to your expectations...

Please comment with suggestions on where to take the stories. I have ideas and I've been scouring Season 1 transcripts for more ideas, but I could always use suggestions =D Have a great week guys.

* * *

Cursed yet Uncursed 9

 _Dear Diary,_

 _It was as if the entire world stopped. I heard nothing, felt nothing, saw nothing but Emma. This was my daughter? This is the tiny little baby I held in my arms twenty-eight years ago? The more I stared at her, the more I could see resemblances of Charming in her; the blonde hair, her bail bondswoman skills, the stubbornness—although she probably gets that from both of us._

 _No wonder I felt so close to her. She was my daughter; I could sense it. This was Henry's plan. He brought Emma to me so she could break the curse! He knew it all along but was waiting for the right moment to tell me._

* * *

Emma continued to talk, oblivious to Mary-Margaret's stare. "Yeah apparently I'm the key to breaking the Evil Queen's curse. The Evil Queen found out from Rumpelstiltskin and wanted to kill me but Rumpelstiltskin said he would do it. But instead, he captured me and sent me to the real world in order for me to avoid the curse in the hopes that I would somehow come find you all and save everyone." Emma laughed, "How ridiculous is that?"

Tears were beginning to form in Mary-Margaret's eyes as she gazed at her beautiful daughter. Twenty-eight years old? She missed everything. Regina stole it all from her.

Emma turned to Mary-Margaret and noticed her roommate's strange behavior.

Mary-Margaret tried to say something but she couldn't find the right words. "Um…ridiculous…"

"I have some errands to run," Emma said, standing and heading for the door.

Mary-Margaret rushed after her, "Do you want me to hold dinner for you?"

"No, don't do that."

"Leftovers will be in the fridge," Mary-Margaret called as Emma reached for her leather jacket.

"Thanks." With that, Emma was out the door.

Mary-Margaret sank to the floor and let it all out. She sobbed out all the heartache she had kept inside of her for the past twenty-eight years. She sobbed for her lost husband, she sobbed for her grown daughter, she sobbed for the life she had been robbed of, and she sobbed for the all the lives that had been ruined through the curse.

After her cry and eating dinner by herself, Mary-Margaret grabbed her coat and purse and left the apartment. Although she wanted to just stay home and try to wrap her head around all the information she had just learned, she knew she needed to keep tabs on Mr. Gold. He was up to something and she needed to learn what that was.

She wandered down the nearly empty streets until she reached the Pawn Shop. The door sign read "Closed" but the lights inside were on. Mary-Margaret tried the doorknob and it swung open. She stepped inside and slowly looked around.

She hardly ever visited the Pawn Shop; she had no reason too. She glanced over the little trinkets and bobbles that were tastefully scattered around the room. Peeking into a display case, Mary-Margaret observed a sword which she recognized to be Charming's.

"I was right…Gold does have plenty of magical objects!"

 _DING!_

Mary-Margaret spun around and saw David walking into the shop. "David?"

David looked surprised. "Mary-Margaret?"

"What are you doing here?"

"Gold told me he had something that used to belong to me," David stepped closer to Mary-Margaret.

"That's exactly what he told me…" Mary-Margaret frowned. Was Gold becoming a matchmaker?

"Ah, you're both here."

The two turned and saw Mr. Gold hobble out from the back room.

"What's going on here?" Mary-Margaret demanded.

"Calm down, dearie. I have something to show you." Mr. Gold motioned the two to follow him as he led the way into the back room.

Suspended in the middle of the room was a baby's mobile. Tiny blue and white unicorns danced in the air from their suspended places on the mobile. Beading swayed in between the unicorns.

A sob broke from Mary-Margaret when she saw it. She covered her mouth with both hands. That mobile had been hand made for her daughter; her baby that was stolen from her and forced to grow up without her loving parents.

David, oblivious to Mary-Margaret's reaction, fixed his gaze on the mobile. "I know this…this belonged to me…" David grimaced and rubbed his temples. "C'mon, remember!"

Mary-Margaret wiped her eyes and watched David.

David extended his hand and cupped the closest tiny glass unicorn. When he touched the mystical creature, his hand felt as if his hand were on fire! He drew back sharply, but the intense pain continued travelling up his arm and into his body.

His heart beat quickened and his breaths came shorter. "What's…wrong…with me?!" he cried to Mr. Gold and Mary-Margaret.

Suddenly, pictures began flashing in his head. A woman with sheep, a dragon, an angry king, a vain princess who looked like Kathryn, a bandit who looked like Mary-Margaret, little men, a wedding between him and Mary-Margaret, Mary-Margaret holding a baby girl, and black knights.

There was a jolt and David toppled backwards and crashed into one of Gold's shelves. Books and magical trinkets showered down around him.

Mary-Margaret rushed to his side, pushing things off him. "David! Are you alright?"

David grasped her hand and stared into her eyes. "Snow?" he croaked.

"Charming," Mary-Margaret whispered, hardly daring to believe he called her Snow.

David launched to his feet and grabbed Mary-Margaret. "Snow! Snow! Snow!" he shouted, hugging her close.

"You remember!" Mary-Margaret sobbed.

David tilted her head back and kissed her soundly on the lips. "Snow," he whispered again.

Mary-Margaret kissed him back, "Charming!"

Mr. Gold quickly exited the room as the reunion continued on. There would be plenty of time to speak to the couple later.

"What's going on?" David said after he decided he had kissed his wife enough for now.

"This is the land we've been cursed to," Mary-Margaret explained. She told him how she was the only one who remembered her life as Snow White and was cursed to live under her fake identity as the quiet and soft-spoken teacher, Mary-Margaret.

"How long was I asleep?" David asked.

Mary-Margaret looked away, "Twenty-eight years."

David gaped, "That long?!"

"I looked all over for you but Regina kept you hidden from me. One day, Henry, a little boy from my class, found you and asked me to read to you."

"That's when I woke up," David nodded. "I could hear you reading to me."

"But there's more," Mary-Margaret said, unable to keep this news from him. "Our baby is the key to breaking the curse!"

David's smile melted away. "But she's dead…"

"No, Charming, that's the best part! She's alive! We thought Rumpelstiltskin stole her and killed her, but we were wrong. He took her to protect her! Our baby is the key to breaking Regina's curse."

David looked confused, "But how do you know that she's alive?"

"She's here. She found us!"

David grasped his wife's hand, "She's here? She knows us?"

"Not exactly…" Mary-Margaret shook her head. "She's here but she doesn't know who we really are or who she really is. Henry brought her here. He's her birth mother; Emma Swan."

"Emma?" David's voice went hoarse again. "But she's…she's…"

"Grown. I know, Charming…I know. Time was frozen here until Emma got here. We never aged a day but Emma is a woman. We missed everything while we were stuck here." Mary-Margaret leaned into David and he wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm sorry…I wasn't there for you. I let you go through the pain alone." David's voice trembled as he spoke.

"You couldn't help it; it wasn't your fault," she whispered, burying her head into his shoulder.

The couple stood together for a long moment; Mary-Margaret safely in her husband's embrace as he soothingly rubbed her back.

"We need to talk to Gold," Mary-Margaret broke the silence and pulled back.

"Gold…" David looked over his shoulder. "Rumple."

"David, I know you're upset," Mary-Margaret reached up and placed her hands on his shoulders. "But listen to me, he might be our only hope right now. We have to at least hear him out."


	10. Chapter 10

Short chapter today, sorry! Working on writing more...enjoy. Again, suggestions are welcome when you review. My offer to anyone interested in co-writing this with me is still open.

* * *

 **Cursed 10**

David took Mary-Margaret's hand and they walked into the front room. Gold waited patiently at the back counter.

"Did you have a nice reunion?" he inquired, his tone strangely polite.

"Yes, thank-you," Mary-Margaret answered while David snapped,

"Cut to the chase, how do you have your memories back?"

"David," Mary-Margaret tugged on his arm.

"Well, Prince Charming," Mr. Gold emphasized 'Charming'. "That's not important right now. What is important is breaking the curse."

"Our daughter can break the curse?" Mary-Margaret questioned.

"Indeed. And your daughter is Emma."

"But how do we know that for sure?" David asked. "How do we know that we have the right girl?"

"In this land, we have DNA tests to prove people are related, among other things. I took the liberty of collected DNA samples from the three of you and Emma matches you both."

"You took samples?!" David shouted. "How is that legal?"

"This is a matter of the curse, not legality. I will do what it takes to break this curse." Mr. Gold folded his hands and leaned across the counter. "Now, we need Miss Swan to realize Henry's ideas are not just ideas: they are reality."

"Wait a second," David held up his hand. "How do we know that you're really on our side? What do you get out of breaking the curse?"

Mr. Gold sighed. "I get _everything_ back if I break the curse. Here, I am the sickly, weak man I used to be before magic. If I break the curse, I get my life back. I will have my health back."

"And your magic?" Mary-Margaret asked.

Mr. Gold hesitated. "Not exactly. The way the curse was cast, magic was eliminated and then the curse whisked us away to Storybrooke. Miss Swan is destined to break the curse that restores our memories and restores our old lives. For magic to be restored, a little more is needed. So we won't worry about that until after Miss Swan breaks the curse."

David folded his arms. "I don't see how we can trust you. How do we know what you're telling us is true? If you get your magic back, you could turn on us."

"That is a good point you make, however, I am your only option and ally right now. How else do you think you can beat Regina?"

Mary-Margaret drew her husband aside. Gold was right; he was their only option. He was the only other one who had his memories.

"We have to trust him, Charming."

David scowled, "This isn't good, Snow. We need some form of assurance that we can trust him."

"The dagger," Mary-Margaret whispered.

"Perfect." David turned to Mr. Gold. "We will work with you under one condition: you give us your dagger."

Mr. Gold looked visibly surprised at David's demand. He tugged at his suitcoat cuffs. "Unfortunately, I do not know the whereabouts of the dagger."

"Liar!" David took a threatening step forward.

"Do you really think the Evil Queen would send the dagger with me in this new land?" Mr. Gold countered.

Mary-Margaret looked him in the eye and held his gaze. He was telling the truth; she could feel it. "He doesn't have the dagger," she said at last.

"Are you sure?" David questioned, slipping an arm around her waist.

"I can tell when someone is lying or not. He is telling the truth. Regina probably has it locked away somewhere."

"Perhaps this will interest you?" Mr. Gold reached under the counter and pulled out a rectangular box. "As the Dark One, I didn't need to worry about this. Now as a mortal, I took the precaution." He opened the box to reveal a nearly black heart.

"Is that…?" David stared.

"My heart. Yes. If you possess my heart, you possess the power to crush it and kill me. Until I regain my previous life as the Dark One, I can die just like anyone else."

David reached inside the box and seized the heart. His fingers curled around the beating organ and he squeezed.

Mr. Gold grabbed at his chest and he fell onto the counter.

"David!" Mary-Margaret cried.

David released the heart. "Just testing it."

"Satisfied?" Mr. Gold grunted between clenched teeth.

"Yes. We'll take this and talk to you tomorrow." David took the heart box with one hand and with the other took Mary-Margaret's hand.

"Wait!" Gold shouted. "You can't walk around like that."

"Like what?"

"You aren't married to Mary-Margaret here; you're married to Abigail."

Mary-Margaret loosed her hand from David's. "He's right. Regina will know something is up if she sees us together."

"I don't want to be away from you," David protested. "I'll divorce Abigail!"

"I know, I want to be with you too, but for the sake of breaking the curse, we have to continue with our cursed lives." Mary-Margaret stroked his cheek. "We'll figure out ways to meet."

"I feel like we're always separated or our lives are in jeopardy."

"If True Love was easy, everyone would have it," Mary-Margaret responded with a gentle kiss on his lips. "How about we meet at Granny's in the morning? We could grab a quick breakfast and at least see each other?"

"I'll see you at 7:15," David nodded.

Mary-Margaret bid him goodnight and left the pawn shop and entered the dark night.


	11. Chapter 11

Another chapter! But first something to address:

Guest who was not happy with my bias towards David: I'm sorry you feel that way. In my opinion, David just woke up out of his coma and curse and he wants to fix things. I wrote Mary-Margaret very passively in this chapter because she has had years to grow accustomed to Gold and think through how she could break the curse. From watching the show, I feel that David is a go getter who doesn't like waiting around. And of course he would be wary of trusting Gold when the last he remembers was Gold stealing his child. Maybe I should've wrote his reactions differently, but I didn't. I love David and he's my favorite male character on the show and I would never want to discredit him.

* * *

 _Dear Diary,_

 _Tonight has had me on a rollercoaster of emotions! First, I discover my child whom I thought I had lost, is alive! And secondly, Emma is my daughter! She's here; with me! And now, David has remembered that he is Charming;_ my _Charming. I hardly know what to do with myself._

 _In the morning, I eagerly got ready early so Charming and I could meet at Granny's. Emma inquired as to why I was leaving for school so early. I made up an excuse about helping the kids with their science projects and she seemed to buy it. That is until she popped in at Granny's and saw David and I talking to each other…I have some explaining to do…_

"Wow," Emma commenting, sliding into the booth beside me. "That was some science project."

"We spoke for only a minute," Mary-Margaret defended.

"How did you know he'd be here?"

Mary-Margaret bit her lip. "He…likes to get breakfast here for himself and Kathryn before work."

"Stalk much?" Emma laughed. "But seriously, Mary-Margaret, he is a married man."

"He doesn't remember that he was married to her," Mary-Margaret blurted before she could stop herself. "I just think that if she was his true love, he'd remember."

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but true love doesn't exist in this world."

 _How can she think that?!_ "There is a true love out there for everyone. You just have to be patient."

Emma cocked her head. "I thought I had found true love once…but that didn't work out."

"Henry's father?"

Emma nodded and abruptly stood up. "I need to go to work. How about I pick up dinner from Granny's?"

"That would be great," Mary-Margaret said softly, disappointed that Emma had ended their conversation so quickly.

After school, Mary-Margaret stopped at the local drug store to pick up a few items she needed at home. She turned down the third aisle and ran into someone.

"Oh my goodness, I am so sorry!" Mary-Margaret bent down to help pick up the things the other person had dropped.

"That's alright," the other person replied.

Mary-Margaret noticed a pregnancy test box sitting on the floor. "Oh, good luck!" She stood up to hand over the box and looked at the other woman in horror.

"Thanks," Kathryn Nolan smiled.

 _Why does Kathryn think she is pregnant?!_ Mary-Margaret thought in alarm.

Kathryn gathered the rest of her items and walked down the adjacent aisle, leaving a stunned Mary-Margaret.

"Miss Blanchard," a dark voice called.

Mary-Margaret spun around to face Regina.

"I can see the wheels spinning in your head." She shook her head. "Their lives are their business – not yours. Understood?"

Mary-Margaret looked down. "Yes."

"Good day, Miss Blanchard," Regina turned on her heel and marched down the aisle.

Mary-Margaret took a deep breath. Yes, Charming had been cursed, but there was no way he and Kathryn had a relationship. He was in a coma for twenty-eight years! He had only been awake for a short time. Mary-Margaret desperately wanted to trust her husband but she couldn't fully trust her husband's cursed identity.

She purchased the items in her basket and left the store in a rush. As she loaded the items in her car, she noticed a pigeon limping along the sidewalk.

"Hey little guy," she whispered. Unable to help her love for animals, Mary-Margaret crouched down next to him. "Is your wing hurt?"

The little pigeon tried to flap his wings but his one wing hung at an awkward angle.

"Let me help you," Mary-Margaret scooped the pigeon into her hands and carried him to the car. "We can take you to the animal shelter and they'll fix you right up."

She drove her car down the block until she reached the shelter and took the pigeon inside. The local vet was standing inside and as soon as he saw the pigeon, he beckoned Mary-Margaret into one of the back rooms.

"What have we here?"

"I found him on the sidewalk. Seems to have hurt his wing," Mary-Margaret answered.

The vet looked over the pigeon. "If we splint it, that should make him good as new. Hey, David, you mind giving me a hand?"

Mary-Margaret's heart leapt at the name.

"You know, David, right Miss Blanchard?" the vet asked when David entered the room.

Dressed in blue plaid, he hardly looked like the Prince Charming she knew, but she couldn't help the smile that spread across her face.

"Yes, of course. Hello, David."

"Mary-Margaret," David grinned back. He took a splint and helped the vet set the wing properly.

"Say, how's your wife Kathryn?" the vet asked while wrapping the wing. "I'm sure she's glad you're back."

Mary-Margaret was suddenly reminded of the pregnancy test. Her chest tightened with worry and fear.

"Kathryn's great," David nodded. "It's taking time, but we're adjusting to our old life together."

 _What is that supposed to mean?_ Mary-Margaret wondered. "I better get going," she said instead. "You can care for the pigeon now."

"Alright, thanks for bringing him in, Miss Blanchard," the vet called.

Mary-Margaret grabbed her purse and rushed out of the animal clinic. David could sense the change in Mary-Margaret's demeanor and quickly made an excuse to chase her now.

"Mary-Margaret!"

"Don't shout," Mary-Margaret hissed, spinning around before she reached her car.

"What's wrong? You're acting strange."

Mary-Margaret sighed and stalled.

"Snow…" David mouthed ever so quietly, yet Mary-Margaret heard that word clear as day. "Tell me."

"I ran into Kathryn today…literally."

"And…"

"She…well…she had this—oh this is so awkward!"

"Don't feel awkward around me," David pulled Mary-Margaret back into an alley so they could have some privacy. "Did something happen?"

"That's what I need to ask you," Mary-Margaret returned.

David furrowed his brow.

"Kathryn had a pregnancy test!"

David stepped backwards.

Mary-Margaret didn't like David's silence. "David…why did Kathryn have a pregnancy test?"

"I swear I don't know!"

"David…nothing happened between you too? I know you were cursed but…please say nothing happened."

"Nothing happened! Believe me! I would never."

"Then why would she think she's pregnant?!" Mary-Margaret threw out her arms. "Women don't buy pregnancy tests just for fun!"

"Mary-Margaret, I swear. Kathryn and I, we…we never—we didn't."

"I trust you, David…but I don't trust your cursed self."

David took Mary-Margaret's hands. "I will talk to Kathryn…we never had a relationship."

Mary-Margaret swallowed nervously, "Okay."

"I love you," David said, kissing her cheek.

"I love you too."

"Hi Miss Blanchard!"

Mary-Margaret wrenched out of David's embrace and slammed back into the brick wall of the animal clinic. Henry stood at the entry of the alley, smiling broadly.

"Henry!"

"Looks like Operation Cobra is going well." Henry grinned smugly at the couple.

"Oh no!" Mary-Margaret rushed forward and dragged Henry into the alley. She knelt down so she was eye-level with him. "Henry, honey, you cannot tell _anyone_ about this."

"I know," Henry nodded. "If my mom finds out, she will freak out."

"This is a secret part of Operation Cobra."

"Right. So Prince Charming remembers?" Henry looked up at David.

"I do, kid," David ruffled Henry's hair.

"You know that you're my Grandpa then?"

David laughed, "Wow…I'm a grandpa."

"Mhm," Mary-Margaret giggled and kissed David. "I'm sorry I didn't trust you earlier."

David nodded, "It's okay, Mary-Margaret. I'll talk with Kathryn tonight."

"Alright, I should get home." She turned to Henry, "And so should you; you have homework to do, young man."

Henry rolled his eyes. "I'll get it done."

"Don't put it off Henry."

"Slave driver," David chuckled.

"I am not!" Mary-Margaret protested. "Henry, I am a good teacher aren't I?"

Henry backed out of the alley. "I'll see you two later. Bye!"  
David laughed as Henry raced down the sidewalk while Mary-Margaret fumed.

"I am a good teacher!"

"I'm sure you are," David said, drawing her into his embrace. "Go home and rest. Take care of Emma."

Mary-Margaret saw the sadness in David's eyes when he talked about Emma. He desperately wanted to get to know Emma, but aside from one or two chance meetings, he never talked to Emma.

"I'll take care of her, David. Don't worry. We'll figure out this curse and everything will be back to normal soon."

"I know we will...I just can't help but miss you and Emma."

"I love you."  
"Love you too," David kissed Mary-Margaret and watched sadly as she hurried to her car and drove away.


	12. Chapter 12

Another chapter! Hopefully over Thanksgiving break I'll have more time to write. For now, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Thanks for all the favorites, follows, and reviews!

* * *

 **Cursed 12**

Mary-Margaret slipped out of her car and closed the door. Two hands caught her around the waist and turned her.

"Finally! I have to go work in five minutes," David smiled down at Mary-Margaret.

"David! What are you doing here?" Mary-Margaret inquired after he kissed her.

"I miss you," he whispered.

"I miss you too, but we need to be careful. Who knows what Regina would do."

"One more kiss," he pleaded.

Mary-Margaret glanced around to see if anyone was watching. When she was satisfied that they were alone, she reached up and pulled him down for a kiss.

David sighed sadly as she pulled away. "When can I see you again?"

"After dinner? I'll meet you at the troll bridge and I'll bring dessert."

"It's a date," David grinned as he rushed off to work.

Mary-Margaret turned and gathered the rest of her things and headed for the school. As she walked across the parking lot, a shiver trickled down her spine. She recognized this instinct from her bandit days: someone was watching her. She turned and scanned the parking lot, looking for anything amiss. She didn't see anything out of the ordinary.

"Calm down, Mary-Margaret," she whispered to herself. She straightened and rushed into school.

* * *

 _An hour later..._

"Madame Mayor," a man in a deep, throaty voice spoke.

"Mr. Glass. Have a seat." Regina rose from her chair behind her desk.

Sydney Glass, reporter for the _Daily Mirror_ , nodded a took a seat in front of Regina's desk. "I came across something this morning that may be of interest to you." He tossed a manila folder on the desk and sat back in his chair.

Regina eyed the folder suspiciously, then snatched it, and emptied its contents. Pictures fluttered out of the folder and onto the desk. Regina picked up the first picture and her eyes darkened.

"And when did you take these?"

"This morning," Sydney replied. "Just before eight."

Regina glanced over the rest of the pictures. "Hmm...I think you should write an article on this. It's been a while since Storybrooke has had a juicy newspaper headline."

"I could fit it in tomorrow's paper...it would be between the ads and—"

"Sydney! This is front page material. You want people to buy and read your paper, right?"

"Well, yes, of course," Sydney stammered.

"This will sell papers, Sydney. I'm doing you a favor."

"But we already have tomorrow's front page done."

"Undo it."

"Yes, Madame Mayor."

* * *

The next morning, Mary-Margaret went to school and taught just as she always did. However, something was off today. She felt the other teachers staring at her and whispering among themselves. She had never been good friends with her fellow teachers, but she never felt such isolation before. School finally let out and Mary-Margaret wanted to get out of school and go home as fast as she could. She pushed her way through the crowded hallway, skirting past teachers and students.

"YOU!"

Mary-Margaret froze. Somehow she knew that "you" meant her. She turned and saw the hallway parting and heard angry heels clicking down the floor.

Kathryn Nolan was suddenly inches from Mary-Margaret's face.

 _WHACK_! Kathryn slapped Mary-Margaret. "How dare you! My _husband_ is still recovering from a coma and you are preying on his emotions!"

"What?!" Mary-Margaret sputtered, holding her stinging cheek. _How could Kathryn have found out?_

"You stay away from him!"

"But I—"

Ruby was suddenly in between the two women. "Leave it, Kathryn! This is not the place. Mary-Margaret, let's go." Ruby took Mary-Margaret by the arm and escorted her out.

"What's going on?" Mary-Margaret demanded as Ruby took her outside.

"This hit the headlines this morning," Ruby pulled a copy of the local paper out her purse. She handed it to Mary-Margaret while she continued dragging her away from the school.

Mary-Margaret stopped dead in her tracks as she read the headline. "Teacher Tramp?" her voice quivered as she stared at a picture of her and David kissing.

Ruby tried to snatch the paper back but Mary-Margaret held onto it firmly. "Don't read it, Mary-Margaret," Ruby pleaded.

"Seemingly innocent elementary teacher is actually a...a..." Mary-Margaret couldn't finish the sentence.

"Mary-Margaret..."

"I want to go home."

"Okay, let's find you your car and..." Ruby trailed off as she spotted Mary-Margaret's car. Bright red paint covered the windows, proudly displaying the word "tramp" and other words that Ruby wouldn't even repeat.

Mary-Margaret looked over the car in silence; trying to keep her composure.

"Let me drive you home," Ruby said, reaching for her keys.

"No." Mary-Margaret took her own keys, tilted her head up, and marched towards the car.

"Mary-Margaret! Are you okay?"

Mary-Margaret made no reply as she calmly shut the car door and drove off.

* * *

 _Dear Diary,_

 _Today was so humiliating. For Kathryn to slap me in front of all those students and teachers...and for everyone to stare at me accusingly. I've never been looked at that way before...and the worst part, is David and I are married and what we do together is perfectly fine and frankly, none of anyone's business. This curse is so hard. I miss David so much. Normally, he would be by my side, defending me. But now he can't. I have to bear this alone...I have no one right now. Or so I thought..._

Mary-Margaret crinkled up another tissue and threw it over the side of the bed. She sniffed and buried her head further in the pillow. As soon as she got home, she had thrown herself on her bed and hadn't moved since. The floor was becoming a sea of white tissues and she was about to exhaust the tissue box supply.

Suddenly, the curtain separating her room from the rest of the apartment moved and Emma slipped inside.

"Ruby called me at the station...I'm gonna find out who vandalized your car."

Mary-Margaret nodded, not moving her eyes from the far wall.

Emma shifted nervously and shoved her hands into her pockets. "You feel like talking about it yet?"

"Nope."

"You, uh ... want to be alone?"

"Nope."

Emma walked over to the bed and lay down next to Mary-Margaret on the bed. She stared up at the ceiling, listening to Mary-Margaret trying to suppress her sobs. Emma couldn't help but feel terrible for her.

Mary-Margaret suddenly felt gentle pressure on her shoulder. She flicked her gaze from the wall to her shoulder and saw Emma awkwardly patting her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Mary-Margaret," Emma whispered.

 _Dear Diary,_

 _I hadn't felt this alone since my bandit days. However, while desperately wishing Charming was by my side, I found comfort when Emma came home. Emma has so many walls to work through, but she let her walls down last night for me. For_ me. _She didn't have to spend the entire evening in my room, but she did. She brought me dinner, even though I didn't eat anything. She brought all her paperwork and silently worked through them while sitting next to me. Just now, I found a neat stack of papers on my nightstand. She finished grading all my quizzes that I needed to have graded by tomorrow._

 _It's hard for Emma to show love, but if you look hard enough, you can find it. My heart nearly broke when I felt Emma's hand on my shoulder. Her hand was stiff and hesitant. She acted like she didn't know how to comfort someone. It made me wonder if anyone had been there for Emma when she needed comfort. Who had been there to comfort my daughter when she fell and scraped her knee? Who had been there to calm her after a frightening nightmare? Who had been there to soothe every illness that plagued my girl? Had anyone been there at all?_


End file.
